New campaign launched following rise in violent and aggressive behaviour towards hospital staff
The Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust, which oversees Pinderfields, Pontefract and Dewsbury hospitals, has launched a powerful new campaign to raise awareness of violence and aggressive behaviour towards its staff.
Through the campaign, ‘Everyone deserves to feel safe at work’, the Trust is calling on the public to stand with NHS workers and help strengthen the culture of respect, safety, and compassion.
An internal survey, completed by 560 members of staff between December 2024 and March 2025, revealed that 74 per cent of staff have experienced violence or aggression from patients or their visitors.
Because of this, one in three staff said they’ve considered leaving their jobs as a result.
This campaign is part of a violence and aggression promise by the Trust - detailing steps that will be taken to support staff.
This includes making it easy for staff to report incidents; providing training to help them stay safe and calm when faced with aggressive behaviour; taking action to reduce the risk of similar incidents in the future; and making sure that staff have the support they need to recover and continue providing safe, compassionate care.
Brent Kilmurray, chief executive of the Trust, said: “At Mid Yorkshire, everyone - staff, patients, visitors, and volunteers - should feel
safe and respected.”
“This campaign is about shining a light on the real impact violence and aggression has on our staff. Most people treat our teams with respect, but too many still don’t and that needs to change.
“We’re working to protect our staff and create safe spaces for everyone – because no one should be hurt or shouted at while trying to care for others.”